2009 BCS Games Update Blog
I'll update this one as the week progresses. The first BCS game is over and USC won easily. The score was not as close as the game was. The one thing that has been decided for the season. The Pacific Ten Conference will go undefeated at 5-0 in their bowl games and win the Conference Championship.
One non-BCS game of note. An excellent game by Nebraska in beating Clemson (26-21). The Huskers seemed out of this game at half time and pulled together to win.
Editorial update: This season is shaping up as one where we need a playoff system in college Division 1 football. USC was dominate and has the best defense in the country, Utah was undefeated and compeltely outplayed Alabama. If Texas, as predicted and expected, disassembles Ohio State, there are three teams who are either one loss or undefeated and should continue to play. The "Plus Two" system works here. Rank the final four winners (that has a good ring to it). #1 plays #4; #2 plays #3. Winners and loses then play each other for #1 and #3. You get a real number one team, the bowls can keep getting all their money and everyone wins.
Another editiorial update: Teams who are to be considered for the National Championship should not be allowed to schedule Division 1aa teams, period. No more Coastal Carolina's and Temple's for Penn State; no more Kent State and Youngstown State for Ohio State; no more Western Kentucky's and Arkansas State's for Alabama; no more late season scrimages with the Citadel for Florida; no more warm ups with Chattanooga for Oklahoma. There is no justification for it by these BCS schools. The only thing these 1aa schools get is a big paycheck to be a punching bag; the once a decade or so upset notwithstanding (but we all now know that Michigan was a rapidly declining team).
In short no more of the BCS Conference teams ducking really good teams in the non-BCS conferences for non-conference games forcing those teams, of necessity, to schedule lesser non-conference games, which then has the effect of keeping them lower in the computer rankings and perpetuates the myth that "they don't play anyone" and artificially maintains the high rankings of the "big schools."
Here are the games:
Rose Bowl: USC vs. Penn State
- My Prediction: USC 47 Penn State 13
- Final Score: USC 38 Penn State 24
My synopsis: Penn State was doomed in the first half by four straight USC possessions with scores, while they had four straight three and outs. Bad breaks on some penalties (but they were indisbutable) and some sloppy play early. USC lost a little focus in the second half (or they scaled back the offense) and they didn't score the 40+ points I thought they would. USC just had too much skill and team speed for Penn State. Penn State's secondary was exposed by USC and never seemed able to adjust to seam routes. Penn State was simply never in the game and the score was not reflective of how dominate USC actually was. Bottom line for this season: USC 73 and the Big Ten's top two teams (Ohio State and Penn State) 27.
PS: The Big Ten is currently 1-3 in Bowl Games with only the Fiesta Bowl to go. The Pac Ten went 5-0, beating their Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, Mountain West, and Big East opponents.
Orange Bowl: Cincinnanti vs. Virginia Tech
- My Prediction: Cincinnanti 31 Virginia Tech 24
- Final Score: Cincinnanti 7 Virginia Tech 20
My Synopsis: One of the sloppiest (Cincinnanti) and pedestrian (Virgina Tech) BCS games in recent memory. If Cincinnanti had made only half the mistakes they did they probably would have won the game handily. Horrible turnovers, terrible plays in goal to go situations doomed the Bear Cats. Virginia Tech gets the win, but this is not a game to instill a lot of confidence in their program. Absent opponent mistakes they were largely outplayed. They were able to rush well against Cincinnanti but the point total is nothing to get excited about. The Big East and ACC remain bottom rung conferences in the BCS system and overall are probably both inferior to the Mountain West at this point. And were they not in the eastern time zone I wonder if they would have even been BCS conferences at all. These two teams should have never been in one of the top five bowl games. The system that allows this to happen is completely and entirely broken.
Sugar Bowl: Utah vs. Alabama
- My Prediction: Utah 32 Alabama 17
- Final Score: Utah 31 Alabama 17
My Synopsis:The game began before the game with Fox Sports "experts" Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson agreeing that Utah didn't have a chance and that no one on the Utah team would even have been recruited by Alabama. After the first quarter it was 21-0 Utah and 21-10 at halftime, with Alabama's only touchdown on a punt return. The halftime show with Fox was fun as Switzer and Johnson squirmed around. Then Switzer said the dumbest thing I've heard recently, "Alabama wants to play in the National Championship game and Utah wants to play in the Sugar Bowl." The elitist Conference (and BCS) nonsense continues to show us all why a playoff or at least a "plus one or two" system is needed. The second half worked out as I had suggested a few days ago, if Alabama had to pass to catch up they were doomed. Despite some terrible calls against Utah (especially the interference with a punt receiver who didn't put his hand up until far too late). Utah was better coached, more physical, and played a smarter game. The suspension and O-Line changes by Alabama will make nice "excuses" but they still gave up nine sacks to guys that in theory Alabama wouldn't even have recruited. The final score was pretty close to what I predicted.
PS: What would be really cool is for the AP Poll to split the National Championship and give their award to Utah, the only undefeated Div 1 team. They are not contractually obligated to follow the BCS system. For the other "human poll" the BCS uses, is it really a "poll" if the participants actually opinion really can't prevail?
Fiesta Bowl: Texas vs. Ohio State
- My Prediction: Texas 63 Ohio State 9
- Final Score: Texas 24 Ohio State 21
My Synopsis: A thoroughly boring first half played by two teams who looked like they hadn't played in a long time. McCoy's poor passing was a real surprise and no touchdowns was even a bigger surprise. My prediction was about 40 points off in the final score. Despite all of the yards McCoy passed for he really played a terrible game, his stats were very misleading in this game. When they ran the hurry up offense, Ohio State couldn't keep up (as noted by the game winning touchdown), but then Texas nearly killed themselves with terrible penalties and horribly sloppy play.
Ohio State played a good game on defense and a fair game on offense. Texas' 2nd ranked rush defense failed to show up for the game and Wells had nearly 100 yards rushing in the first half. A key was the fact that Wells got his bell rung and didn't play in the second half.
In the final rankings Texas will now drop behind both USC and Utah as this was a disappointing game by the Longhorns. They barely won and probably didn't deserve to win. Ohio State lost so they won't move up, but probably won't fall (Penn State will probably drop out of the top ten in the final rankings). One big thing for Ohio State to address before 2009 is teaching Pryor how to throw. At this point he cannot sustain a passing attack at a college level that. Had OSU fallen behind by more than a couple of touchdowns, Pryor would have been playing wide receiver most of the second half, his passing skills are just awful.
The Big Ten finishes the Bowl season 1-5 with probably two more teams in bowl games than should have been.
BCS Championship Game: Florida vs. Oklahoma
- My Prediction: Florida 47 Oklahoma 45
- Final Score: Florida 24 Oklahoma 14
My Synopsis: Well, I was really wrong about the score because this was one of the most ponderously boring championship games ever. Well, it was somewhat interesting between the 20's, but not much went on in the red zone. Flordia won and played a better game but this game probably ensures that there will be a split championship because the AP Poll probably will go to Utah (or even USC). Honestly, either Utah or USC would have beaten these two teams tonight.
The last two games in this BCS season were just terrible and the idea of spreading them out over an entire week was really a bad idea.
Posted by Narnia3 at January 1, 2009 5:46 PM
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